SNL's "I'm Just a Bill" Parody on President Obama's Immigration Plan

I'm always ready for a Schoolhouse Rock parody!

Nogales (A Rocky Mountain Mike Song Parody)

Proving that he can make anything funny, Rocky Mountain Mike tackles the border crisis--or more accurately, the right wing response to it--with Nogales, to the tune of Marty Robbins' El Paso.

For more from Rocky Mountain Mike, please go here.

 

Right Wing World: Sarah Palin Advocates Impeachment

You know, because when it comes to matters as serious as the impeachment of the President of the United States, I always look to half-term, half-wit governors from states with a population that is dwarfed by 17 US cities. I'm aware that I should ignore this shrill, past-her-prime mean girl, as attention (and money) is what she thrives on. But as long as Right Wing World looks to this clueless twit as some sort of political guru [get better heroes!], she's not going away. And when she stirs up shit, it tends to splatter around.

So, Palin adds her endorsement of the idea of impeachment. Someone will have to explain to her that it doesn't involve actual peaches, I suppose. Her reasoning seems sort of screwy to me. But we know from the Bill Clinton impeachment that the right will use absolutely anything as a reason. It's not so much an impeachment for a specific reason, but one just for the sake of it. Just like last time. But last time, it just made Clinton more popular, set his wife on a wave of sympathy and congratulations, and probably lead to the upcoming candidacy of Hillary Clinton.

But, I'm telling you. When Nancy Pelosi said, "impeachment is off the table," in regard to George W. Bush, the right should have taken that great gift, and returned the favor. Because if any president deserved impeachment, it was Dubya.

Image from source, NewsCorpse

[Excerpt]

Impeachment Fever: America Rejected Sarah Palin, Now She Rejects America
 
The “Quitta From Wasilla” is making headlines again by displaying symptoms of acute Obama Derangement Syndrome. Sarah Palin, the 2008 GOP nominee for Vice-President, who was soundly rejected by American voters, is now calling for the impeachment of President Obama (again), who was elected twice with significant majorities. . .

Read more at: NewsCorpse

Leaked Memo Tells GOP to Stop Using "Illegals"

Image from AppellateRecord.com

Well, duh. If you want to stop offending groups of people, stop using terms they find offensive. Easy peasy. But simply getting the GOP to stop using the term "illegals" for undocumented immigrants, is really not enough. I mean, we already trained them not to use the "n" word, and they just started using euphemisms and dog whistles. They're still thinking of creative ways to call the president "lazy" and "uppity." So, will knocking off "illegals" really be that much of an improvement? I guess it's a start.

[Excerpt]

Leaked memo tells GOP to stop calling immigrants ‘illegals’

Republican lawmakers are being encouraged on a new set of talking points when it comes to addressing both immigration reform and Latino voters, according to a memo obtained by The Hill on Monday. The memo, prepared by the Hispanic Leadership Network (HLN), encourages the use of the term “undocumented immigrants” as opposed to “illegals” or “aliens,” and discourages criticisms of the new immigration proposal by a group of GOP and Democratic senators using the word“amnesty. . .”

Read more at: Raw Story

Supreme Court Cuts Down Arizona Immigration Law

Keeping up with the Cardassians.

The Supreme Court has had everyone on pins and needles for the last several days, promising to release opinions, tantalizing us with a few, and saving the rest for later. Most of the big stuff is out, except for the ruling on the health care mandate. That, it would seem, they are saving until the very last minute. So, more on that later.

Meanwhile, Governor Bone-finger Jan Brewer was kind of smacked down by the Supremes, with her crowning achievement largely gutted. She played it off like a win, but it wasn't. Three fourths of it was declared unconstitutional, and the fourth part is still under review. I'm glad the law is mostly done away with, because it just seemed like one of the top ten ways Republicans can be mean (in an endless list), and it just isn't necessary. And, while I can hardly tolerate Jan Brewer's fake-gloating, it's better than real gloating, and I'm sure she's not so happy-clappy on the inside.

[Excerpt]


High court strikes down key parts of Arizona immigration law

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. . .The justices struck down three other parts of the law:

• One making it a crime for an illegal immigrant to work or to seek work in Arizona;
• One which authorized state and local officers to arrest people without a warrant if the officers have probable cause to believe a person is an illegal immigrant;
• And one that made it a state requirement for immigrants to register with the federal government. . .

 Read more at: MSNBC

Jon Stewart Exposes Sean Hannity's Lies (Again)

Though all of this Daily Show with Jon Stewart clip is good, my favorite part starts at 3:30, with Jon "almost" snowed by Sean Hannity of FOX "News." Hannity is such a tool. A dull, useless tool.

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Democalypse 2012 - Pander Express Edition - Obama's Immigration Reform
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Ronald Reagan on Illegal Immigration

"I believe in the idea of amnesty for those who have put down roots and lived here, even though sometime back they may have entered illegally." 
- Ronald Reagan, 1984




Ronald Reagan would be denounced by today's Republicans as a RINO: Republican In Name Only


Via: Ben Patrick Johnson on Facebook

Strange Anti-LEGAL Immigration Ad from GOP Debate

Seriously, WTF??? Apparently, this California -centric ad went national too.

"Toughest Sheriff" Arpaio Can't Police Own Department?

Image from source, Think Progress

Well, well, well. So, Sheriff Joe, big tough guy, FOX "News" favorite? Apparently he can't even police his own men effectively. And if the FOX fans are true to form, there will be no impact on his popularity there. They forgive any ridiculous thing that Sarah Palin or Glenn Beck do, so they'll offer their sympathy, backed with their support, undoubtedly. What, me cynical?

[Excerpt]

Three Arpaio Employees Arrested For Drug And Human Trafficking

Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio has made a name for himself as “America’s toughest Sheriff.” For the past several years, Arpaio has waged a crusade against Maricopa County’s undocumented population through immigration sweeps and dehumanizing tactics. . .

Read more at: Think Progress

Thanks to Stupid Monkey Planet for the link.

More Conservatives Coming Out Against Minimum Wage

If the election in November goes according to conventional wisdom, the GOP is poised to make tremendous gains, or even take over one or both houses of Congress.  I get that a President's party usually loses big in mid-term elections.  I get that when the economy is bad, the party in power is often in trouble.  The pendulum swings left, and then always swings right again.  But is America ready to have that sucker lassoed, hogtied, and lashed to a hitching post in the furthest reaches of Teabaggistan?

I hope not.  Because if it is, my faith in my fellow man--and their reasoning skills--is going to be lower than it already is.  Think about how this election season has gone so far. Who has been demonized--besides President Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid--by the GOP so far?  Gays, naturally. People who don't have health insurance. Immigrants. Black people. Muslims. Gays again. The unemployed. I'm sure I've left some out. And then there's the fact that many prominent candidates are advocating eliminating or privatizing Social Security, Medicare and the VA.  So, there's your old and sick and veterans.  As icing on the cake, now they're targeting the poor.  Who is left to vote for them?

[Excerpt]

More Candidates Come Out Against Minimum Wage

Connecticut GOP Senate nominee Linda McMahon may have been the first, but apparently, not the last Republican hopeful to question the need for a national minimum wage. . .

Read more at: OnTheHillBlog

Meg Whitman Has a Little Illegal Alien Problem

Image from source, LA Times

Does Meg Whitman, the GOP candidate for Governor of California, count as a tea bagger? I'm not sure. I know she's spent a literal fortune to get herself elected. In fact, the second biggest trend for candidates from the GOP this year (the first being nominating crazy people) seems to be rich people effectively buying their way into office.  But conservative voters, be they the tea variety or original flavor, count illegal immigration in the top five things they are "angry" about.   So, how will Whitman's new scandal play in right-wing world?

[Excerpt]

Former Whitman housekeeper alleges she was treated like 'garbage'
The California governor's race took on a circus-like atmosphere Wednesday as a former housekeeper for Meg Whitman alleged the Republican gubernatorial nominee employed her for nearly nine years, even though Whitman knew the housekeeper was in the country illegally. . .

Read more at: Los Angeles Times

Republicans Want to Repeal the 14th Amendment to the Constitution

So, Republicans want to repeal the 14th amendment, which would remove rights. And they'd like a Federal Marriage Amendment. . .which would remove rights. Is anyone sensing a pattern here?

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Arizona Governor is Peeved that Immigration Law Has Been Stalled

Image from source, RawStory

You might have noticed that I haven't been commenting much in my posts. Tired, sorry. All I can think of for this particular post is that Arizona Governor Jan Brewer is almost as scary/unphotogenic as Sharron Angle.  And yeah, that's kinda mean, but being a particularly unphotogenic human myself (but hopefully of the unscary variety), I think I have a leg to stand on.

[Excerpt]

Brewer: Fight over AZ law ‘far from over’

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer said Wednesday she would swiftly appeal a judge's ruling blocking key parts of a new state immigration law, vowing to take it all the way to the Supreme Court.



"This fight is far from over. In fact, it is just the beginning, and at the end of what is certain to be a long legal struggle, Arizona will prevail in its right to protect our citizens," Brewer said in a statement. . .

Read more at: Raw Story

Jan Brewer Claims Immigrants Beheaded People in Arizona?

With Michael Steele self-destructing, and Republicans (and tea baggers) trying to out-crazy each other, will November really be the big Republican blow-out everyone is predicting?  I don't know, but it sure is entertaining.

[Excerpt]


Brewer Falsely Claimed Immigrants Beheaded People In Arizona (VIDEO)





When defending her highly criticized immigration law, Gov. Jan Brewer (R) often lists the myriad problems she says undocumented immigrants bring to her state. In an interview on Fox News last week, for example, she claimed: "We cannot afford all this illegal immigration and everything that comes with it, everything from the crime and to the drugs and the kidnappings and the extortion and the beheadings ..."

Read more at: TPM Muckraker

John McCain's Danged Fence Deathstar

I always knew "maverick" was code for Dark Side.  Kudos to the maker of this Star Wars/John McCain parody. Brilliant.

Rachel Maddow Fact Checks FAIR Interview

I told you yesterday about Rachel Maddow's contentious interview with Dan Stein of FAIR.  It was difficult to ascertain who the "winner" was, if there is a winner in an interview. Even Rachel had trouble with what to call it, settling for "discussion."  What is clear is that Stein was being evasive and untruthful. To be blunt, he was lying.

Rachel Maddow Grills President of FAIR

Something I really like about The Rachel Maddow Show, is how she prods the underbelly of the big stories, digging underneath to see who the players are, and what they're up to.  A lot of those players like being more anonymous, and really don't like it when she does that.  In the case of FAIR (Federation for American Immigration Reform), a group that helped form the recent draconian immigration law in Arizona, there are some decidedly hinky characters behind the scenes. Rachel interviewed Dan Stein, the President of FAIR on Thursday's show, and it was contentious, to say the least.

Stein didn't like the fact that Rachel kept bringing up people tied to FAIR who are racist or worse, and protested vociferously. "Guilt by association!" he bellowed at one point. Really?  The founder of the organization, who sits on the board of directors is not relevant?  Rachel had lots and lots of research on her side. Stein didn't like where she allegedly got her information, and said it was all wrong. But he had a very difficult time pointing out how it was wrong.

I've seen people like Sean Hannity and Bill O'Reilly throw around "guilt by association" charges (Bill Ayers, anyone?) with far less to allege.  Say what you will about Rachel, she's damned good at what she does.  It's hard to say that she won the "debate" since Stein wasn't exactly playing along.  But it was entertaining television.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Iowa Congressional Candidate: Put Microchips in Illegals!

Image from source, Huffington Post

The political barometer in this country is just spinning right into crazy territory, isn't it?  Putting microchips in people? Really? Isn't this the kind of thing the rapture-ready Christians like Pat Robertson and Tim LaHaye have been warning about? Isn't it supposed to be The Mark of the Beast™?  And proposed by a Republican, no less.

[Excerpt]

Pat Bertroche: Iowa Congressional Candidate Wants Microchips In Illegal Immigrants

Illegal immigrants: can't live with them, can't put them on leashes, like human chattel. But at least one Republican candidate for the 3rd District Congressional primary in Iowa, birthplace of presidential primaries, wants to do something about this dilemma. By which I mean to say he wants to implant microchip tracking devices inside illegal aliens, because why not, right? Then we can all keep tabs on them with our android phones! . . .

Read more at: Huffington Post

Thanks to Tracy for the link.

Jon Stewart's Take on Arizona Illegals Law

I'm frankly a little surprised at the national response to Arizona's draconian illegal immigration law.  I was perhaps a little to encouraged to see that 63% of my fellow Americans were supporting financial regulation. So, I was disheartened to see that around the same percentage of people support the "papers please" law.  Yikes.

I'm hopeful that it is just a case of not having considered the ramifications and possible unintended consequences of it. But already, people who are opposed to the law are being referred to as "pro illegal immigration."  Which is stupid.  And, as usual, to straighten this all out, we must turn to a comedian.  Frankly, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart often defines the implications of laws like this better than anyone else in the media.  It's certainly more entertaining.

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Arizona Capitol Smeared with Refried Bean Swastikas

Image from source, Huffington Post

Well, that's one way to get your message across. Thanks to my friend Tracy for the link.

[Excerpt]

Refried Bean Swastikas Smeared On Arizona Capitol 

The conflict over a sweeping crackdown on illegal immigration in Arizona intensified Monday as vandals smeared refried beans in the shape of swastikas on the state Capitol's windows.



More protests were planned Monday after thousands gathered this weekend to demonstrate against a bill that will make it a state crime to be an illegal immigrant in Arizona. . .

Read more at: Huffington Post